As gas prices continue to rise to unprecedented levels, every available resource is being investigated to replace fossil fuels by august official bodies like the energy commission to the average Joe and Josephine in the street. Hydrogen fuel cells seem to be a possible alternative. Hydrogen for cars will not only provide the chance to explore new energy sources; it will also open up better potential for us to improve how we travel overall.

Among the many candidates to replace fossil fuels, hydrogen is showing great promise. It ocurs naturally in many everyday items, including water, coal and the compost heap in the back garden. Its natural abundance makes it all the more attractive in terms of developing this resource for widespread consumption.

Hydrogen fuel for cars is far more efficient and cleaner to produce than fossil fuel. To give you an example: for gasoline production a refinery would process three hundred billion gallons of water, which is itself becoming a more and more valuable and depleted resource; the same amount of hydrogen would require only one million gallons of water, a savings too large to ignore.

The equivalent gallon of gas to hydrogen costs roughly half the price of gasoline while yielding over two thirds better fuel economy. Hydrogen for cars also reduces engine operating temperatures and virtually eliminating emissions and the dreaded carbon footprint.

Due to the limited availability of hydrogen fuel to power our cars, it is not practical to increase production of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. And, while some fueling stations are a possibility, the reality of the situation is that the limited availability of hydrogen fuel does not make it a viable, affordable alternative at this time.

An explosion of new vehicle designs will emerge when hydrogen fuel powered cars become the standard in the automobile industry. The electricity to power these vehicles would be generated within a much smaller engine from the hydrogen fuel, thereby eliminating many of the limitations imposed not only by the size of gasoline engines, but also those restrictions based on the heat produced by a gasoline engine. Limitations from designing around current driveline equipment would also be eliminated by the new hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

Hydrogen for cars will become more cost effective as hydrogen production increases, creating a new era of energy consumption. Using hydrogen will decrease society’s dependence on fossil fuels, an added benefit for the environment. The reality is that gas prices will not retreat much from this current high mark, which will only increase the pace at which hydrogen fueled cars and the equipment needed to make them a reality develops.